On 8 March 2004, at my previous attempt at an online journal (aka 'blog'), I said:

Tyranny of Broadband - 8 March 2004

I have 'only' a 56k dial-up connection. I am one of the new "digital disadvantaged" who, in other circumstances, might be equated to those people seen in dole lines or soup kitchens. I am certainly to be pitied by my broadband-enabled friends.

A few months ago a person I know was connected to broadband, nd immediately began sharing 1-2MB files (you know the type -- PowerPoint feel-goods, high-quality images of train wrecks, movie files of funny advertisements, etc.) I had to point out to him that these files bloated further their mammoth proportions when sent by email, and asked to be pulled from his list of share-buddies. He replied that he'd forgotten what it was like not to have broadband, to drop me from that list and further promised to be careful with other people, too.

In recent times, I've been downloading the images from the Mars Rovers (Spirit & Opportunity) after getting the program Maestro (35+MB) [its size was not discussed anywhere on the site!]. The updates have not been tagged, either. They range from ~5 to 17MB. At this size, it implies the need for BROADBAND.

Do I go ADSL or wait for the optical fibre, or do I not do either?

Am I one of the digital poor, or am I actually digitally rich? After all, friends who live in some suburbs can't even get a sustainable 56k connection; others who live in the wide hinterland around the city on 'acrage blocks' are often doomed to under 16k throughput. Compared to them, I'm on clover!

Well, it's time to again consider whether I'm going to take either a digital "plunge" (a 256/64 connection) or "cold shower" (another dial-up 'contract').

In both cases, I'm up for a tidy sum. However, the cost of the dial-up contract can be subsumed into the broadband plan to some extent.

In the end, it's a numbers game.

I'm open to suggestions.

_____
Peter